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Possible transcription scam: 12 minutes of audio as a "test"...?
Auteur du fil: Audra deFalco (X)
Audra deFalco (X)
Audra deFalco (X)
États-Unis
Local time: 08:48
italien vers anglais
+ ...
Nov 6, 2010

Hello all. I just wanted to get some of your opinions. This is something that has never happened to me before.

Today I was asked to do a 12 minute transcription/translation as a "test." Of course I only offered him about 3-5 minutes and he hasn't responded thus far to my proposal. The total length of the test audio sample was 30 minutes, so I bet he wanted me to do the first 12 minutes or so and have the next person finish it off, thus getting free work.

Has this ever h... See more
Hello all. I just wanted to get some of your opinions. This is something that has never happened to me before.

Today I was asked to do a 12 minute transcription/translation as a "test." Of course I only offered him about 3-5 minutes and he hasn't responded thus far to my proposal. The total length of the test audio sample was 30 minutes, so I bet he wanted me to do the first 12 minutes or so and have the next person finish it off, thus getting free work.

Has this ever happened to any of you? Being asked to do a relatively large chunk of a sample as a test? It struck me as odd and quite crafty! ▲ Collapse
 
Aradai Pardo Martínez
Aradai Pardo Martínez  Identity Verified
Mexique
Local time: 06:48
suédois vers espagnol
+ ...
For a test... Nov 6, 2010

I wouldn't do more than 1 minute!

It sounds just too fishy!
 
seika
seika  Identity Verified
États-Unis
Local time: 08:48
Membre (2006)
japonais vers anglais
+ ...
Dodgy... Nov 6, 2010

It sure sounds fishy!
 
Laurent KRAULAND (X)
Laurent KRAULAND (X)  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 14:48
français vers allemand
+ ...
No way... Nov 7, 2010

anybody could get me to do that.

Tests should always be self-contained whether in translation or in transcription. This is a basic rule IMO.
 
Patricia Machado
Patricia Machado  Identity Verified
Portugal
anglais vers portugais
+ ...
I fell for this scam, oops! Apr 8, 2019

I wish I had read this before!
I was stupid enough (it's been a month with very few translation jobs) to complete a 12 minutes transcription test.
They replied saying I wasn't approved before they had the time to check the test.
It's a terrible feeling to be robbed.

[Edited at 2019-04-08 15:12 GMT]
 
Daryo
Daryo
Royaume-Uni
Local time: 13:48
serbe vers anglais
+ ...
The value of "useless" reading ... Apr 10, 2019

I remember the story of a "smart" businessmen who in the past century opened one of the ever first cinema.

The relevant part of the story: he was boasting about not paying anything for the chairs for the audience - he just asked for free samples from hundreds of businesses eager to get the order for few hundred chairs.

This method still works today, as long you can find enough mugs ...

Yolanda Broad
 


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Possible transcription scam: 12 minutes of audio as a "test"...?







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